Governors, Biden administration push to quadruple efficient heating, AC units by 2030
A coalition of 25 governors and the Biden administration are set to announce a pledge Thursday morning to quadruple the number of heat pumps in U.S. homes by 2030
A group of 25 state governors that make up the U.S. Climate Alliance and the Biden administration announced a pledge Thursday to quadruple the number of heat pumps in U.S. homes by 2030, from 4.7 million to 20 million.
Heat pumps use little electricity, yet are able to heat and cool buildings. Since they often replace oil or gas furnaces that add greenhouse gases to the air, they can meaningfully address climate change.
Buildings account for more than 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
The pledge on heat pumps is a collection of state initiatives to work toward the goal of ramping down emissions to zero by 2050. Pennsylvania and seven other states, for example, will look into developing a “clean heat” standard, meaning one for how non-polluting a heater needs to be.
Some major manufacturers of heat pumps, including Johnson Controls, Siemens and Trane Technologies released a letter of support following the announcement.
The governors in the alliance represent approximately 60% of the U.S. economy and 55% of the country's population.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee called heat pumps “almost a miraculous solution” to three problems Americans face, “heating in the winter, cooling in the summer, and a reduction of carbon pollution.”
The reason heat pumps run on less electricity than other forms of heating is that they merely extract heat from outdoor air or underground and transfer it inside, instead of heating up a coil, for instance. They are just as good at cooling, pulling heat from indoors and dumping it outside or underground.
“Even on a winter’s day, heat
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